Sep. 29-Oct. 5
STORE Store design can and does go out of style. While the time might not yet be right for a major renovation, explore a refresh by painting an accent wall or creating a case filled with trends popular on Pinterest. Brainstorm with your creative staff to come up with seasonal window displays and update your lighting.
EVENTS October is party month. If you don’t have a big event planned, how about a Repair Sale? It’s low key, doesn’t require a huge investment of time or money and gets people in.
Oct. 6-12
STRATEGY Think of ways to “front load” December with trunk shows, sales and events, anything to drive traffic and interest early in the month, so as to extend this prime selling time.
MARKETING Review your email marketing from last holiday season to see what types of communication generated the best response. In addition to repeating your best moves, consider basic segmentation to take advantage of easily targeted consumers.
Oct. 13-19
CLIENTELING Have a plan in place to connect personally with all your top customers before Dec. 15. According to store consultant Megan Crabtree, this could include creating custom Christmas or Hanukkah ornaments inscribed with family names or simply sending out handwritten cards.
MARKETING If you’re bringing in new products this quarter, consider pre-sales to build excitement for these new goods. L. Priori Jewelry in Philadelphia and Washington, DC, previews each piece on Instagram Stories with an offer for 15% off for early birds.
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Oct. 20-26
SALES FLOOR Look into getting a scent diffuser installed in the store. Just about any nice smell will keep customers lingering, but pine, cinnamon, and mulled cider will reinforce the spirit of Christmas and gift giving.
DISPLAY Rethink your store’s space allocation to reflect buyer behavior over the next two months. If, for example, your store has six feet of case space devoted to pearls, but you know pearls do not sell well during the holidays, shrink that space to 18 inches and convert the majority of that space to popular holiday items until Jan. 1, advises display expert Larry Johnson.
Oct. 27-Nov. 2
COLLATERAL Run an inventory check of your non-merchandise to make sure you don’t run out of things like toilet paper, paper towels, bags, cleaning cloths and stationery.
ONLINE Do 404 error pages on your website frustrate or amuse? Consider a photo of your store mascot wearing jewelry or something similarly lighthearted. Of course, don’t forget your message: You’ve come to a dead-end. Go back!
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